Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Caron Butler out; Will Mavs make a deal?

Via Nick Borges of ESPN...

The Mavericks announced Tuesday that Caron Butler is out for the season following surgery to repair his ruptured right patellar tendon. Owner Mark Cuban was asked if Butler's injury will change how the team approaches the trade market.

"We do the same thing regardless," Cuban told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. "Our approach never changes."

Even though Cuban is willing to take on salary, he said that doesn't mean he'll be able to trade Butler's expiring contract.

"The other side has to want to make the trade," Cuban said.

The Mavericks have shown interest in Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala and Houston's Kevin Martin in the past and Cuban may call both those teams again.

The Mavericks hope to get Rodrigue Beaubois back in the near future and he might be the best replacement for Butler.

"We're going to go with what we've got," president Donnie Nelson told The Dallas Morning News. "We still have an A-performer at the NBA level in Shawn Marion. And we feel like there are a lot of different ways we can go with the roster we have.

"Plus, we want to be very careful with what we bring in because the chemistry with this team is so good."

Iguodala would be a great piece for the Mavs to add. While never a great shooter, he plays tremendous defense and is one of the best slashers to the rim that the league has. He can instantly be inserted into the starting SF slot that Butler abandoned with his injury. He can also be used as a point forward who can run the offense and give Jason Kidd a breather.